In the control of fluid in industrial processes, such as oil and gas pipeline systems, chemical processes, etc., it is often necessary to reduce the pressure of a fluid. Adjustable flow restriction devices such as flow control valves and fluid regulators and other fixed fluid restriction devices such as diffusers, silencers, and other back pressure devices are utilized for this task. The purpose of the fluid control valve and/or other fluid restricting device in a given application may be to control flow rate or other process variables, but the restriction induces pressure reduction and unwanted noise inherently as a byproduct of its flow control function.
One device currently available for reducing pressure and noise of a fluid utilizes a tortuous fluid flow path. In the tortuous fluid flow path, the fluid flow is required to pass through a device having a plurality of restrictive fluid flow passages, each of which is constructed so as to require the fluid flow to change direction, typically at right angles, throughout the tortuous path as the fluid traverses from the device inlet to the device outlet in a planar, radially outward direction. These devices are commonly known as “tortuous path trim devices”.
In such currently available tortuous path trim devices utilizing a tortuous path technique, the amount of noise reduction attainable is limited by the size (e.g., the overall envelope or external size) of the control valve. More specifically, as fluid flows through the stacked disks, it travels continuously outward in a planar, radial direction. However, such devices do not employ pressure recovery in the device.